Linking quality of life questionnaires for asthma to the International Classification of Functioning

To link the content of the most common quality of life instruments for children with asthma to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF).

The study was conducted in two stages. The first involved a review of the literature to select quality of life questionnaires and in the second, two independent reviewers identified questionnaire items, and categories corresponding to the ICF, according to approved methodology. The degree of agreement was calculated using the kappa coefficient.

Two questionnaires were selected: the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life (PAQLQ) and Pediatric Quality of Life Asthma Module (PedsQL-Asthma), self and proxy versions. The degree of agreement was strong for all the instruments: PAQLQ (k = 0.624), PedsQL- Asthma self (k = 0.610), and PedsQL-Asthma proxy (k = 0.673). A total of 114 concepts were identified in the 77 items. Thirty-five different ICF categories were linked, 16 (45.7%) related "body function," 13 (37.1%) "activity and participation," and 6 (17.1%) "environmental factors." Two items (1.7%) could not be linked because they represent personal factors or are not covered by the ICF.

The categories linked to the PAQLQ contained primarily "body function" and "activity and participation," but not "environmental factors." Those linked to the PedsQL-Asthma versions encompass three of the four ICF components, where the highest content frequency was associated with "body function," followed by "environmental factors" and "activities and participation."